1670 (TV series)

1670 is a Polish mockumentary satirical comedy television series. The first season was released on Netflix on 13 December 2023. The series has been renewed for a second season set to premiere in 2025.

Premise
The series follows the pursuits of Jan Paweł Adamczewski, the head of a szlachta noble family in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the 17th century.

Main

 * Bartłomiej Topa as Jan Paweł Adamczewski, a Sarmatian nobleman and part owner of the village of Adamczycha
 * Katarzyna Herman as Zofia, Jan Paweł's wife, a religious fanatic
 * Martyna Byczkowska as Aniela, Jan Paweł's rebellious and progressive daughter
 * Michał Sikorski (aktor) as Jakub, Jan Paweł's younger son, a business-minded priest
 * Michał Balicki as Stanisław, Jan Paweł's older son and heir of the family estate
 * Andrzej Kłak as Andrzej, part owner of the village of Adamczycha and Jan Paweł's enemy
 * Dobromir Dymecki as Bogdan, Zofia's brother, a hussar
 * Kirył Pietruczuk as Maciej, the blacksmith's Lithuanian apprentice and Aniela's love interest

Recurring

 * Paulina Matusewicz as Marianna
 * Kazimierz Mazur (actor) as Wojciech
 * Artur Janusiak as Lesław
 * Sebastian Pawlak as Izaak, the village innkeeper, a Jew
 * Irena Melcer as Regina
 * Grzegorz Ciągardlak as Wawrzyniec
 * Piotr Napierała as Bartosz
 * Ewelina Zawada as Ula
 * Andrzej Nejman as Władysław

Guest

 * Angelika Smyrgała as Jadwiga, Stanisław's fiancée from Wilanów
 * Marta Król as Rozalia, Jadwiga's mother
 * Radosław Krzyżowski as Ciesław, Jadwiga's father
 * Aleksandra Skraba as Arleta
 * Sławomir Holland as Kazimierz
 * Daniel Guzdek as Jędrula
 * Wojciech Błach as Gniewko
 * Bartosz Gelner as Henryk Lubopolski
 * Mariusz Kiljan as Father Żmija, a priest and detective from Sandomierz; a reference to Father Matthew

Production


Screenwriter Jakub Rużyłło was inspired to write the series after reading Fantomowe ciało króla: Peryferyjne zmagania z nowoczesną formą by sociologist Jan Sowa. After learning the premise of 1670 from Rużyłło, producers Ivo Krankowski and Janek Kwieciński collaborated to create the series. The team reached out to several broadcasters who rejected the series before it was ultimately greenlit by Netflix. Bartłomiej Topa, Katarzyna Herman, Andrzej Kłak, and Dobromir Dymecki were all cast without an audition.

Adamczycha, a village of about 100 residents, was chosen as the series' setting after director Kordian Kądziela saw it on a map and liked the name. Although the series is set in Adamczycha, it was filmed in the open-air Muzeum Kultury Ludowej w Kolbuszowej in Kolbuszowa in 2022. Several scenes were also filmed at St. Paraskevi Church in Radruż.

Only when I entered the set did I realize how sensitively and precisely this world had been created. The set was not made of plywood, plasterboard and a piece of wall pretending to be a cottage. We had an open-air museum in Kolbuszowa, to which several buildings were added, which created our village of Adamczycha. It looked so authentic that you basically just had to enter that space and play.

The series was renewed for a second season in early 2024, with a scheduled premiere date of 2025.

Release
A teaser trailer for the series was released on 5 October 2023. The official trailer was released on 8 November 2023. As part of the series' marketing, Polish influencers were sent bags of hay branded with the 1670 logo.

Reception
Polish critics generally reacted favorably to the series, much to the surprise of director Kordian Kądziela. Magdalena Drozdek of WP Teleshow wrote, "There was a high probability that the mocking series about the Polish nobility would be such a festival of embarrassment that we would want to forget about it quickly. But the creators of 1670 serve this embarrassment so well that you will have a great time." Małgorzata Major of Wirtualne Media wrote, "Playing with history and tradition is something that does not always gain mass admiration, but for fans of absurd humor and crossing boundaries in comedy, the series 1670 is a must-see."

Ola Gersz of NaTemat.pl gave the series four out of five stars, commending its humor, costuming, and production design. She further wrote, "There has never been anything like this in Poland. Finally, we learn to laugh at ourselves and we can be politically correct, but with class, humor, edge and... brains. It will be a hit." Marta Wawrzyn of Serialowa noted that, although the mockumentary format could be seen as outdated, the series was well-produced and had plot potential. She further wrote, "Polish series still have a lot of catching up to do compared to global ones, but it seems that 2023 is a breakthrough year for our creators."

Natalia Nowacka of Radio Eska called 1670 "a masterpiece" and "the series this country needed." Katarzyna Ulman of Świat Seriali called the series "perfect" and commended its writing and performances, particularly that of Bartłomiej Topa. Bartosz Węglarczyk of Onet.pl called the series "the funniest Polish thing I've seen in a long time."

Tomasz Zacharczuk of Trojmiasto.pl wrote, "To point out Poles' national vices and ridicule the most frequently repeated stereotypes, using the story of 17th-century mustachioed Sarmatians and using the mockumentary formula typical of productions such as The Office or What We Do in the Shadows? Madness. It could only end in two ways—either a spectacular flop or a spectacular triumph... It is with clear relief, but above all with the feeling of a great time spent, that we can officially announce the second one. 1670 is the best Polish comedy production of recent years."

Jacek Cieślak of Rzeczpospolita compared the series to the 1981 film Teddy Bear, writing, "The series will be funny for some and painful for others because it does not recognize taboos."

On the other hand, reviewing the series' first episode, Joel Keller of Decider wrote, "The first episode of 1670 is designed to be a laugh-a-minute mockumentary, but it barely elicited a chuckle from us. The reason why isn’t the language barrier, it’s the fact that the satire is over-the-top and unfocused." He also stated that "1670 has the potential to be a good ensemble comedy, but the comedy it aims for is way too broad to be sustainable." Anna Szczepańska of Do Rzeczy also criticized the series, calling it "painfully embarrassing" and "a collection of memes and unfunny jokes wrapped in an eye-pleasing landscape of szlachta Poland at the end of the 17th century."